The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Now influencing policy decisions in a U.S. State

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Sunday, Nov 18, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Now influencing policy decisions in a U.S. State

“In the U.S. we have a committee structure that facilitates open public discussion. That is something India should, and is, striving for”

— PHOTO: S. THANTHONI

Upendra Chivukula

Upendra Chivukula left Chennai 33 years ago as a Guindy Engineering College graduate eager to make a name for himself as an engineer in the United States.

He returns to the city as one of the most influential representatives of the 20-million-strong Indian-American community in the U.S.

He is only the fourth Indian-American to be elected to a U.S. State Assembly.

In Chennai as part of a touring delegation of U.S. State legislators, Mr. Chivukula speaks to Ananth Krishnan about the Indian-American community’s growing role in American politics, as well as his impressions of Indian politics.

When Upendra Chivukula was working as an engineer in the mid 1980s in New Jersey he was struck by the Indian community’s lack of involvement in local politics.

Twenty-five years later the situation is strikingly different. Last month, Bobby Jindal became the first Indian-American to be elected as the Governor of a State, and there are a number of Indians now working as policymakers in Capitol Hill.

“When I first got into politics around 25 years ago, my purpose was to start a grassroots movement to increase the political awareness of the Indian community in New Jersey,” Mr. Chivukula says.

He joined the Democratic Party, and began to enjoy considerable success.

In 2001 he became the first Indian-American to be elected to the New Jersey State Assembly, and the fourth Indian-American to be elected to a State office.

Mr. Chivukula says the recent success of Indian political aspirants in the U.S. is effecting a change in the mindset of young Indian-Americans.

“In states like New Jersey and California more and more people from the community are contesting for local office,” he observes.

Mr. Chivukula spent the last two weeks in India interacting with politicians and observing the political process.

From his experiences, he says the most significant difference between the nature of politics in India and the U.S. is the lack of transparency here.

“In the U.S. we have a committee structure that facilitates open public discussion. That is something India should, and is, striving for. There should be more transparency in politics, such as electoral campaign disclosures and financial disclosures.”

In Chennai, Mr. Chivukula says he sees tremendous opportunities for closer commercial contact between the two countries, particularly with regard to information technology.

While outsourcing has increasingly come under attack in the U.S., Mr. Chivukula has been one of its defendants. “After having the chance to visit a call centre in Chennai, I am in a better position to go and explain the situation to my constituents,” he says.

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